Technical writing

1. 1. Introduction to Technical Writing Mutia Rachmawati Mindtalk: @apfelwein

mutia.rachmawati@ansvia.com
2. 2. Definition Technical writing is a type of writing where the author is writing about a
particular subject that requires direction, instruction, or explanation.
3. 3. Goals •To deliver technical information for readers in a manner that is adapted to their
needs, level of understanding, and background. •To communicate with specific audience, for
a specific purpose.
4. 4. Characteristics •Understanding what is the purpose and why you are writing. To inform?
To instruct? To propose? To recommend? Or to persuade?
5. 5. Characteristics •Writing for audience. Who is the audience? What is their background?
What do they need?
6. 6. Characteristics •Satisfying document specifications (Appropriate genre/type of document)
What is the document type? How about the required format?
7. 7. Characteristics •Providing accurate information. Technical writing document is not about
opinion.
8. 8. Characteristics •Expressing information clearly. No room for ambiguity!
9. 9. Characteristics •Using efficient words.
10. 10. Characteristics •Using appropriate writing style and the right punctuation marks. Be
careful of typos, sentences in conversational tone, and punctuation problems!
11. 11. Effective Technical Writing •Clarity •Conciseness •Accuracy •Organization •Process
12. 12. Clarity •Specify. •Avoid obscure words. •Limit and/or define your use of abbreviations,
acronyms, and jargon. •Use the active versus the passive voice.
13. 13. Conciseness •Limit paragraph, word, and sentence length. •Proofread for accuracy
•Avoid redundancies
14. 14. Accuracy •The importance of correct grammar.
15. 15. Organization •Methods for organizing – Definition – Comparison/Contrast – More
Important to Less Important – Situation-Problem-Solution-Evaluation – Cause-Effect
16. 16. Process All that you need to do is three things: – Prewrite (about 25 percent of your time)
– Write (about 25 percent of your time) – Rewrite (about 50 percent of your time)
17. 17. References Biosystems Engineering. Technical Writing Guide version 2.0. Michigan
State University. September. 2007.
<https://www.msu.edu/course/be/485/bewritingguideV2.0.pdf> Kelley, Nicole. Sentence
Structure of Technical Writing. Fall. 2006. <http://web.mit.edu/me-
ugoffice/communication/technical-writing.pdf>